Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Saw this article in the Canadian Medical Journal Website regarding the possible shortage of dentists in the US. Here's the teaser quote:

Residents of the United States who need teeth extracted may soon have to do it the old-fashioned way — with pliers, whisky and elbow grease — because there may not be enough dentists to go around.

The number of practicing dentists is projected to start declining in 2014, which will likely exacerbate an existing problem: the unwillingness of many to practice in rural areas. Further compounding the problem are such factors as a continuing migration from general practice to specialties like orthodontics, the closure of dental schools, a decrease in the size of graduating classes, the forthcoming mass retirement of older dentists and the growing number of female dentists, who tend to work fewer hours than their male colleagues.